What do you think?
Rate this book
They write their dreams on the rock forever: Rock writings of the Stein River Valley of British Columbia
In They Write Their Dreams on the Rock Forever, ‘Nlaka’pamux elder Annie York explains the red-ochre inscriptions written on the rocks and cliffs of the lower Stein Valley in British Columbia. This is perhaps the first time that a Native elder has presented a detailed and comprehensive explanation of rock-art images from her people’s culture. As Annie York’s narratives unfold, we are taken back to the fresh wonder of childhood, as well as to a time in human society when people and animals lived together in one psychic dimension.
This book describes, among many other things, the solitary spiritual meditations of young people in the mountains, once considered essential education. Astrological predictions, herbal medicine, winter spirit dancing, hunting, shamanism, respect for nature, midwifery, birth and death, are some of the topics that emerge from Annie’s reading of the trail signs and other cultural symbols painted on the rocks. She firmly believed that this knowledge should be published so that the general public could understand why, as she put it, “The Old People reverenced those sacred places like that Stein.”
They Write Their Dreams on the Rock Forever opens a discussion of some of the issues in rock-art research that relate to “notating” and “writing” on the landscape, around the world and through the millennia. This landmark publication presents a well-reasoned hypothesis to explain the evolution of symbolic or iconic writing from sign language, trail signs and from the geometric and iconic imagery of the dreams and visions of shamans and neophyte hunters. This book suggests that the resultant images, written or painted on stone, constitute a Protoliteracy which has assisted both the conceptualization and communication of hunting peoples’ histories, philosophies, morals and ways life, and prepared the human mind for the economic, sociological and intellectual developments, including alphabetic written language.
This book describes, among many other things, the solitary spiritual meditations of young people in the mountains, once considered essential education. Astrological predictions, herbal medicine, winter spirit dancing, hunting, shamanism, respect for nature, midwifery, birth and death, are some of the topics that emerge from Annie’s reading of the trail signs and other cultural symbols painted on the rocks. She firmly believed that this knowledge should be published so that the general public could understand why, as she put it, “The Old People reverenced those sacred places like that Stein.”
They Write Their Dreams on the Rock Forever opens a discussion of some of the issues in rock-art research that relate to “notating” and “writing” on the landscape, around the world and through the millennia. This landmark publication presents a well-reasoned hypothesis to explain the evolution of symbolic or iconic writing from sign language, trail signs and from the geometric and iconic imagery of the dreams and visions of shamans and neophyte hunters. This book suggests that the resultant images, written or painted on stone, constitute a Protoliteracy which has assisted both the conceptualization and communication of hunting peoples’ histories, philosophies, morals and ways life, and prepared the human mind for the economic, sociological and intellectual developments, including alphabetic written language.
- GenresAnthropology
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 6, 2025
An amazing dive into Interior Salish mythology and shamanic/vision quest practices. The bulk of the book comes from recorded interviews with Nlaka’pamux elder Annie York, and these conversations are full of interesting stories regarding mythic legends, ethnobotany, traditional skills, indigenous languages, and more.
Getting to hike the Stein and see many of these pictographs up close in their natural setting with the sound of the river seeming to emanate from within the rock was a beautiful experience in itself, but it was certainly enhanced by reading this book. I’d highly recommend reading this before going backpacking in the Stein valley - it will add many layers to the experience. Luckily for those who will never make it to the Stein (or even if you do, as many pictographs are very faded or hard to find), this book is absolutely full of high quality reproductions of the rock art, much of which is hauntingly beautiful and mysterious.
“That earthquake sign is very ancient on this earth.
It tells that in the end of human life we are not going to have earthquakes. The last people that's going to be here will devour ourselves with some kind of sickness, some kind of starvation. That's what the Prophet Shikbiintlam said. When people think of earthquakes they think of punishment for doing wrong. That's why that's here. The Indians were great people for believing that you're gonna be punished. If you don't do what you're supposed to the weather can change, the animals and the fish can go. All that kind of thing. We're coming up to that right now. We people do all kinds of evil things nowadays, and we're gonna be punished. That's what they told the people.”
“Some of the woods is kinda spooky, you know. There's something in the woods there that makes that place kinda spooky. And if you can get power from that thing that makes that place kinda spooky, well, you got nature power. That spooky place gives you that power. Not like goin' down the road here and listening to cars and trains. To get power you got to get way out, way out from civilization.
This power is not accessible to everyone, and contact with it can be fatal.”
Getting to hike the Stein and see many of these pictographs up close in their natural setting with the sound of the river seeming to emanate from within the rock was a beautiful experience in itself, but it was certainly enhanced by reading this book. I’d highly recommend reading this before going backpacking in the Stein valley - it will add many layers to the experience. Luckily for those who will never make it to the Stein (or even if you do, as many pictographs are very faded or hard to find), this book is absolutely full of high quality reproductions of the rock art, much of which is hauntingly beautiful and mysterious.
“That earthquake sign is very ancient on this earth.
It tells that in the end of human life we are not going to have earthquakes. The last people that's going to be here will devour ourselves with some kind of sickness, some kind of starvation. That's what the Prophet Shikbiintlam said. When people think of earthquakes they think of punishment for doing wrong. That's why that's here. The Indians were great people for believing that you're gonna be punished. If you don't do what you're supposed to the weather can change, the animals and the fish can go. All that kind of thing. We're coming up to that right now. We people do all kinds of evil things nowadays, and we're gonna be punished. That's what they told the people.”
“Some of the woods is kinda spooky, you know. There's something in the woods there that makes that place kinda spooky. And if you can get power from that thing that makes that place kinda spooky, well, you got nature power. That spooky place gives you that power. Not like goin' down the road here and listening to cars and trains. To get power you got to get way out, way out from civilization.
This power is not accessible to everyone, and contact with it can be fatal.”
January 18, 2022
Fascinating excursion into past practices and world views.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews